Philosophy

Philosophy is the most ancient of the academic disciplines and acts as a foundation for many other areas of academic study and research, offering an excellent training in rigorous thinking and wide-ranging enquiry. While studying at Exeter, you’ll ask some of the most fundamental questions to human life: What is knowledge? How can we know? What really matters in life? How can we understand the nature and meaning of the universe and of human life? You’ll engage with and challenge the ideas of some of the key thinkers of our time, from Aristotle, Marx and Descartes to Hume and Russell, and question our knowledge of the external world.

Our enthusiastic staff will introduce you to core issues in philosophy. You’ll learn about metaphysics, which deals with the nature of existence, truth and knowledge; epistemology, which deals with the nature, origin and scope of knowledge; and moral philosophy which deals with topics such as lying or human rights.

Our programmes are based mostly, but not entirely, in the Department of Sociology and Philosophy and are delivered by a group of philosophers that is regularly enriched by new staff appointments. The department specialises in philosophy of the social sciences and social, political and moral philosophy more generally. We have a student-friendly, informal atmosphere, and our high quality Combined Honours programmes connect philosophy to history, politics, classics, theology and modern languages; while our Single Honours Philosophy programme gives the opportunity to focus predominantly on philosophical themes and questions. You’ll learn to analyse arguments, criticise texts, write well-argued essays and question received ideas, all of which will help you to develop a deeper understanding of some pervasive and problematic features of the world and of ourselves.

We have a vibrant research culture in the department and our academic staff have a wide range of research interests in philosophy. The leading role of our department in the philosophy of social science and biology is recognised by the fact that an Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) funded Centre for the Study of Genomics in Society, is based at Exeter. Our departmental research was ranked 6th in the UK in the latest Research Assessment Exercise (2008) and our research is published in leading journals. As an undergraduate you’ll benefit from this research culture, as not only will your teachers be up-to-date with contemporary themes and their teaching relevant, but you’ll also have access to the latest thinking and resources.

*based on the average of positive responses for full service universities (ie, excluding specialist colleges)
**RAE 2008 based on percentage of research categorised 3* and 4* (includes research in Philosophy and Sociology)

Numbers

Exeter

Entrants: 43
Applicants: 610